Whether you’re a freelancer, performing artist, small business, entrepreneur or any kind of self-made individual, it goes without saying that a website is crucial. Nowadays, there are so many options to choose from. Joomla, Drupal, Silverstripe, Flash, etc. I’ve been using Wordpress for a few years and cannot advocate for it enough. If you’re not already using it, then you need to be.

• Amazing support. This is by far one of the main selling points to using Wordpress. There are a few hundred people, if not more, contributing to its’ development. What does this mean? There’s are plugins that can do just about anything you want your site to do. Slideshow, news scroller, classified ads, article directory, social media integration, events calendar, membership capabilities, etc. What makes these features even better is the tech support for using them on your Wordpress site. You are not left out in the cold so finding someone to help out if it acts buggy won’t be difficult. And for the economically conscious, many of these plugins are free.

• Flexibility. If you think Wordpress is just a blogging software then you need to pay attention here. Wordpress gives your site the kind of flexibility that many other software may not, at least not in an SEO friendly way. I challenge someone to show me otherwise and no Joomla does not count. Wordpress, out of the box, is ideal for any website owner who wants to scale their site later. The backend language may be confusing for non techie individuals but the learning curve is short. Adding great features is as easy as clicking on install and activate.

• SEO friendly. Wordpress is the easiest seo-friendly software that offers a multi-dimensional website which gives you a leg up from many of your competitors. Why? Because they probably aren’t thinking of optimizing their website for search engines and if they are then chances are they are not doing it properly. I’ve seen too many website creators who develop “SEO friendly” website that are image-heavy and without alt tags. Their title tags are a mess and they have text in graphic form. These simple SEO techniques are addressed easily with Wordpress so you wont need to spend too much time ensuring your site is optimized for search engines.

• Quality themes. One of the best things about Wordpress are the plethora of themes you can choose from to give your site a polished and professional appearance. There are two types of themes: free and premium. You can spend absolutely nothing on a free theme or you can spend anywhere from $15 to $125 on a premium theme. Many of these themes give you flexibility to customize it with your branding as well as adjust color schemes. Some to check out include themeforest.net, elegantthemes.com, woothemes.com, gabfirethemes.com, studiopress.com and gorillathemes.com.

• Strong “push-ability.” Wordpress can sync with your Facebook and Twitter rather seamlessly. You can also hook it up with Posterous and Ping.fm, websites dedicated to helping you “push” your content across various social sites like Tumblr, Digg, Delicious, Flickr, Status.net, among others. This is probably the most important value to using Wordpress. With a strong “push-ability” you can use your Wordpress site to power your visiblity online. Automating the distribution of your website’s content is a great way to connect with audiences across sites you may not have previous frequented. As an entrepreneur, performing artist, freelancer or small business this is one of the most integral features to fuel your online marketing efforts.

While it’s true that your site is only as effective as the planning you have in place for it, Wordpress is the best tool out there for website owners. No matter what your technical expertise is, Wordpress gives you a stress-free website experience.

With the economy and open-source culture, taking a weekend to learn the software is in your best interest. That way you can be better invested in your site’s development. You’ll start planning ahead for the future in a different way if you know what options are available for your site. It wouldn’t be a far stretch to say that Wordpress can spark creativity. The possibilities are endless and from one website owner to another, it is this kind of wishful thinking that makes your online presence priceless.

• yankees will still take it this year despite tonight's loss. #yankees #worldseries #
• RT @Mediabistro: Rumor has it that full Twitter list rollout is underway, & should be completed in the next couple days http://bit.ly/1FZRaE #
• RT @Mona: Blogs & Tweets are now first impressions. <– Sooo true. Thanks for saying it outloud! I thought it was just me. #
• RT @Urbaneperspmag: RT @MBtheREMIX: #HesNotTHATintoyou if he un-tags himself from ur photo album. <- also if he keeps un-friending you on FB #
• LendingTree is sending YOU to the Rescue by having the Tongal Community collaborate to create a 30 second… http://bit.ly/2m5XZG #
• Interview with Filipe Santos, SEO Strategist http://ow.ly/xnpK #
• @FilipeS check out the interview! – http://ow.ly/xntC #
• i don't want 2 rain on anyone's social media parade but how authentic is ur popularity if the only one promoting u online is, well u? #
• @MariSmith: re: 90% of the 200 billion emails sent everyday are spam <- Did the report happen 2 say what the spam ratio is 4 social media? #
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• http://bit.ly/2FLXNu #
• @ElCotorro re: SEO/SEM expert, I may know some people. What are you looking for specifically? in reply to ElCotorro #
• i heart the sweet millions commercials. kittens, bunnies, puppies –> CUTE. does it make sense? well that's another story… #
• RT @MariSmith: Post-seminar tip: "Evaluate what will make u the MOST $$$, prioritize & have accountability partner." @MaryEllenTribby #sang3 #
• Finding ur new company's namesake goes beyond searching on GoDaddy. You also have 2 check social media 2 find something unique & not in use. #
• @mrosarionyc @FilipeS –> potential gig <– @ElCotorro is looking 4 an SEO/SEM specialist. If u want more info, reach out to him on Twitter. #
• @tferriss <– the http://su.pr/1FV3Wv# link isn't working. It goes to a 404 page. in reply to tferriss #

Filipe Santos has more than 13 years of experience in the area of online services, spanning web site design/development, product development and search marketing.

An accomplished strategist and marketer, his vision and expertise in driving natural search (SEO) marketing performance has echoed success in campaigns from multitude of fortune 500 companies. Some of these companies include: NBC Universal, Nestle Waters, MTV, Hyatt and Sybase.

Offering a rare blend of creative, technical and operational strengths, Filipe Santos has achieved exciting company and product development and has been recognized for his success in achieving marketing goals for clients.

His website is filipecsantos.com.

I took a few minutes to briefly pick his brain on search engine optimization and how it plays with the social media future we’re evolving into.

What is search engine optimization (SEO)?

SEO is a process which takes the technical aspect of a website and makes it marketable to searchers on search engines for a multitude of questions being asked. SEO is both a science and art since there is a technical piece that is crucial to success, but the most important thing is the marketing aspect which involves an understanding of the audience and their potential motives.

SEO seems to be an after-thought for some entrepreneurs. Why do you think this is?

SEO is very granular. Typically entrepreneurs are thinking about  big picture visions and running a business and with SEO, while critical, isn’t the easiest thing to do or do right. This perception is changing and will certainly blend in the near future.

How does social media play into SEO? Should we focus more on social media tools such as Twitter and Facebook?

While social clearly has benefits on its own, however, I am a firm believer that multiple marketing channels should be employed. There are pro’s and con’s to every discipline or channel, so one way to get a holistic plan is to include marketing strategies and tactics that complement each other – like SMM and SEO. There is also a sub section of SEO called SMO which involves optimizing for social media, which goes to show that SEO may in fact be the glue that holds many online search marketing campaigns together – leading to success when actively monitored and worked with. So in short, no, social is not the end all, be all and does not replace SEO.

Is it possible to use social media to optimize my site’s rankings and if so, how could I do that?

Directly social media cannot possibly help to optimize a site’s rankings. However, indirectly, social media outlets can be a great conduit to develop positive messaging, develop links (which help site rankings), and can allow for real-time feedback, allowing you to tweak or improve search marketing efforts for your website. In order to take advantage of the indirect value social networks have, it is important to have a communications plan that schedules quality unique content related to your site. Then you need to actually promote and maintain the communications over time to allow for right audience to find you. Once this is achieved, you should analyze your traffic and note new links or mentions on search engines to understand where you need to continue or shift your communications.

With real time search becoming more prominent, how can a site still become relevant in the search market? Are there new ways of creating SEO-friendly websites?

Real time search will still rely on data that is captured behind the scenes. Search engines do not actually search the “web” in real time, they have indices of data which they scan using their engine software and algorithms to deliver results for user searches. With social networks, the real time searches will certainly give users certain types of information more quickly, however will only compliment traditional search engine services. This brings me back to why I believe an integrated and multi-faceted marketing program is important. With both social and SEO covered for example in your plan, you now have two methods whereby information can be catered to your audience. One for seeking large amounts of data for research and purchase decisions (SEO), and a fast answer based medium that brings fact, opinion and news in real-time but lacks in delivering the vast amount of data and researching capabilities that a typical search engine can.

What does the future hold for SEO? Do you see it becoming obsolete?

SEO will become more of an integrated strategy rather than a discipline that is regarded important by those in the know. SEO will not be obsolete because as long as data exists on the internet, there will always be a way required to tie truth and fiction to searchers questions, and always an opportunity to “optimize” content (of all kinds textual, meta or rich media). The only thing that I see changing in a major way is the ability of site owners to “game” search engines, which in other words is manipulate. Black hat techniques will become less possible as search engines get smarter and technologies are developed to counteract spam and other typical black hat tactics. Remember, search engines employ hundreds if not thousands of scientists and advanced mathematics graduates from the best schools in the world to work on spam and manipulative methods. One person is not going to take out an army armed with a spork…

If I can only afford to do 1 SEO technique, which would you recommend and why?

If there were only one SEO technique to rely on, it would certainly be link building. Nothing conveys the relationship of truth and value related to your site better than peer reviews. Links are in essence a web voting system (which these days is being complemented by social networks using “like” or “dislike” buttons), and the more valued links coming to your site and to varied information available on your website, the better your results are likely to be in the major engines like Google. There’s a lot more to link building than meets the eye, and much more required as far as discussion goes on tactics than the scope of this interview, but I’ll leave you with one key differential – Stay away from spammy or manipulative methods if you want to succeed long-term. Build links, you won’t regret it.

• RT @darrenmonroe: The real people that matter are the ones who encourage your purpose, passions, vision,. dreams and goals! #
• RT @REMdreamtime: if you love what you do, all this stuff becomes much easier via @garyvee @HubSpot #IMU #
• is passion one of those things that you don't know you have until you've lost it? #
• video blog or podcast? #

• Day 3: The How Of Blogging: SOTB 2009 Blogging – Technorati http://bit.ly/ilqh9 #
• RT @TechCrunch: StatusNet (Of Identi.ca Fame) Raises $875,000 to Become The WordPress Of Microblogging http://bit.ly/1JYczR #
• As we continue to move towards an open source society, what will that mean for businesses seeking a competitive… http://bit.ly/4BPde2 #
• Competition: Friend or Foe? – http://ow.ly/wTFH #
• on the fence about getting a domain. the .com isn't available but .net is. don't know if its worth going with .net. thoughts? #
• RT @necolebitchie Necole Bitchie.com: Tyler Perry Recieves Criticism From Other Film Directors – http://ow.ly/wVTL #
• Just installed TwitterRemote (http://TwitterRemote.com/) on my blog: http://internetmogal.com #
• RT @FilipeS: The Social Media Marketing Book – http://cli.gs/0Wm84A #
• The more creative individuals are: left-handed (1) or right-handed (2) ? http://tinyurl.com/yljj3lg #

• Day 3: The How Of Blogging: SOTB 2009 Blogging – Technorati http://bit.ly/ilqh9 #
• RT @TechCrunch: StatusNet (Of Identi.ca Fame) Raises $875,000 to Become The WordPress Of Microblogging http://bit.ly/1JYczR #
• As we continue to move towards an open source society, what will that mean for businesses seeking a competitive… http://bit.ly/4BPde2 #
• Competition: Friend or Foe? – http://ow.ly/wTFH #
• on the fence about getting a domain. the .com isn't available but .net is. don't know if its worth going with .net. thoughts? #
• RT @necolebitchie Necole Bitchie.com: Tyler Perry Recieves Criticism From Other Film Directors – http://ow.ly/wVTL #
• Just installed TwitterRemote (http://TwitterRemote.com/) on my blog: http://internetmogal.com #
• RT @FilipeS: The Social Media Marketing Book – http://cli.gs/0Wm84A #
• The more creative individuals are: left-handed (1) or right-handed (2) ? http://tinyurl.com/yljj3lg #

• Constant Contact Enters The Online Event Registration And Marketing Arena – http://ow.ly/wz3W #
• Monday's Food For Thought: Do you create something that people have already proven to want or do you create… http://bit.ly/uRjyZ #
• MarketingSherpa: New Chart: Email is Social, and it’s not Going Anywhere http://bit.ly/12SJmL #
• RT @Ed_Sullivan: Can newspapers compete with ad networks? http://bit.ly/1W7blG #nytimes <– nope #
• Eisner’s Web Video Studio, Vuguru, to Emerge With Backing – NYTimes.com http://bit.ly/3qUuZQ #
• "Newspapers aren't losing readers; they are losing their business model." http://bit.ly/4k7O63 #
• ghost tweeting? thoughts? #
• RT @nataliemacneil: More than half of all U.S. businesses are home-based ~The Rise of the "Homepreneur" http://tiny.cc/Wg7pF #

Branded entertainment is a hot buzz topic as we continue to dissect the digital space and identify monetization opportunities for web-based video content. Whether you’re a blue chip brand or an indie filmmaker, there’s no denying that the online space has become a goldmine for distributing compelling and original content within targeted niche communities. The problem revolves around creating viable and sustainable business models so that these web-based video content become a successful viral tool for engaging viewers who are consuming digital media on a consistent basis.

Larger companies are still struggling with finding a revenue model to support their consumers’ desire for videos. Sites such as Hulu and Youtube don’t seem to have a solution to this. It’s important, though, to remember that as an entrepreneur we cannot look to these media companies for direction as we build our brands within the digital space.

Companies such as Youtube and Hulu are operating at a significantly different business model than the solopreneur or startup. Herein lies the problem. How can we look at these larger companies and take away strategies that will work for our projects?

Set realistic and attainable goals.

When you hear about larger corporations struggling to make a profit, it can be easy to assume there’s no business in online video. However, what’s successful for my business may not be successful for another. As a 1 person team, monetizing my site to generate $75,000 might be a great year. Many of my expenses would be met, including overhead. Whereas for a brand such as NBC, $75,000 would not cover production costs, much less make a dent in their profit margins.

Entrepreneurs, even those who want to create empires, start out with an idea and a vision. And unless you’re backed by venture  capitalist, chances are you will be bootstrapping it out of the gate. Therefore it’s important to learn hands-on approaches to advertising because this kind of insight will position your brand above competitors who don’t have that kind of foresight. So when thinking of branded entertainment, keep it relevant. Low cost advertising using videos is doable, provided that you’re realistic with your goals.

Another way to look at branded entertainment is to consider its’ value across educational and utilitarian purposes. Funny and cute videos have their place however if we expand our visions to encompass our brands around informational efforts then we can connect with our audience in a meaningful way, one that can help viewer affinity. By doing so, visitors will be more invested in the content we create.

Imagine you’re a yoga specialist and you create awareness of how meditation can help relax parents of autistic children. This creates awareness for autism and allows the yoga instructor to generate goodwill in an altrustic way, which is a great tie-in to the core principles of yoga. Also, if the same yoga instructor created a widget which offered different mediative poses that parents can do with their autistic children, then you’re creating value in a way that can’t be measured. This would help build a level of mindshare that no amount of money can buy.

Overall, branded entertainment is a great opportunity for anyone building a brand. When used with your target market in mind, it can be extremely effective in creating a buzz and positioning your name in the digital space. The key is to identify your goals early on. What are your metrics and how will you gauge success? Advertising is not just for big corporations. Everyone is a brand and the Internet brings everyone to the same playing field.

The BootStrapper Summit III provides a place for entrepreneurs to pitch their startup ideas in a welcoming and supportive environment. Of the 8 pitches seen today, few show little to no potential. In fact many of the startups bring a sense of charisma and charm not seen in many of the larger and more successful websites.

The theme I see here are altruistic service-based web properties geared at simplifying your everyday life. Careful thought and consideration was given to the nuances of complex scheduling and synergistic mobile platforms. CalendarFly.com hopes to syncronize their solution with mobile applications, giving parents and the education system a common place for collaborative communication. PlaySportTV.com provides an easy to use website for parents to engage with the world of youth sports and given that 75% of children participate in sports, this startup has a strong marketshare to take advantage of.

The most promising startup presented today comes from ClassWish.org which aims to serve educators with an easy way of raising support ranging from in-kind donations to cash. Users create their profiles, making it extremely easy to connect educators with socially conscious individuals who want to support their local schools.

The most important takeaway from these presentations is the value of creating innovative monetization strategies beyond the antiquated banner ad revenue model. With the exception of OurTailgate.com, whose website would actually benefit significantly from the traditional ad revenue system, banner advertising seems to be the kryponite for early investment capital. During the investor panel discussion one of the keypoints highlighted was that the ad revenue model is dead. As the market becomes more saturated with web properties, all targeting the same niche industries, an entrepreneur needs to be more proactive with creating user experiences that understand the unique interests and needs of the markets they serve.

Another area of interest is the focus on creating environments that are effective in monetization. While ideas are not lacking in the digital space, a way to engage an audience in a unique experience is what many new startups struggle with. After seeing the presentations I’ve realized entrepreneurs will always think their website is “one of a kind.” And while that positive attitude is crucial to creating an emotional connection with potential investors and/or partners, reality needs to sink in. No idea is unique and the moment entrepreneurs embrace this, the easier they will be in addressing the two steps critical to their survival: positioning and financial stability. Once they can better understand the market space they are entering, they can find opportunities in places they might not have considered. As difficult as it is, objectivity is key even if it means abandoning the website you have your heart set on, or at the very least modifying it to fit the needs and wants of the industry you’re jumping into.

At the end of the day, it’s a business. The presentation I saw today with the best long-term business concept was Sarapis, who essentially created a business model outside of the actual startup they presented. This would be ideal if you’re trying to introduce new adopters to change how they do anything online. If you can create the system your product uses and position both seperately then you’re on the right path to becoming the next Google.

So what are the challenges in the funding world? Well while the quality of startups are of much better now, the business landscape is shifting back to the paradigms of old school business 101. Building revenue-based businesses focused on scalability, proprietary products, a built-in customer base and profitablity are the key elements to success. When you can ensure these areas are covered and the vision of your business coincides with the strategic goals of the investors you seek then you will have a perfect marriage of startup success.

And what about advertising? There seems to be a general consensus that the culture of advertising online divides the industry. On one end you have the advocates of measurable metrics using search patterns to target ad dollars, and on the other hand you have those who still see a value in impressions. The future of advertising will have to compromise on both areas, as web users become more savvy and selective about how they want to be marketed to. Using traditional mediums such as television and radio are great opportunities to generate buzz and demand back to the web properties so that there’s a way to not only engage the target audience but also measure the efforts made to connect the advertiser’s brand with the viewer.

The value of advertising on television is much higher than advertising on the web and until there are new formats created to help generate demand so that the ROI for web-based advertising is more obvious, it will continue to rule how ad spending is distributed. It’s also important to note that while online ad spending may be a great way to burn cash, if you optimize social media and organic search then you would be ahead of the game since both are less expensive and can generate a better ROI for your advertising efforts.

For entrepreneurs it’s important to reflect on the business side of your project. Remember that you can’t always forecast or plan for some trends but you can invest in the tools and metrics that help you capitalize on these opportunities when they arise. While you can launch without traditional branding, a concept lost by many who are told to “be unique”, if your niche and your goals are not necessarily inline with traditional branding metrics then you cut through all the junk and focus on profitabilty.

The name “social media” is becoming pretty synomous with just about everything online. This became more apparent after attending the recent Latinos In Social Media (or Latism as they commonly refer to their online collective of Tweeters, bloggers and Facebook personalities) conference . I’ve since realized that anyone with an online profile seems to qualify themselves as an expert in social media. With the advent of Internet marketing, self-qualifying seems to be a popular theme and it makes me wonder if the 80% of the “meformers” on Twitter is, in fact, an understatement.

Latism started off with an opening pep talk by Ramon de Leon, a Hispanic entrepreneur in Chicago. His approachable persona and engaging story was an inspiration to any skeptics of the value that online marketing plays in creating a strong online presence that connects your brand with tech savvy consumers. He spoke of how his early adoption of social media tools helped cement his brand with the target audience of his pizza franchise. One of his most important points was that there’s no excuse for not being successful, which can be a tough pill to swallow for the self-qualifying “experts.” I’ll get into this in a minute.

The conference continued with valuable insights from the executive case studies presented by retail giant Target Latino and marketing firm Acento Group. Their examples reminded us that there’s no substitute for planning, goal setting and executing with measurable metrics in place. Statistics such as “77% of the 23 million hispanics online, engage in some kind of online socializing” gave us a framework for better understanding the potential of any online marketing campaign targeting Latinos.

Following the conference I had several thoughts about my experience there and would like to offer insight which will hopefully foster healthy discourse regarding Latinos in social media.

During the “Blogging for Niches” breakout panel, one of the bloggers made a remark that only serves to discourage professional blogging.

“Do not go into blogging thinking it’s going to bring you money.”

I take issue with a few aspects of this sentiment. First, this is a defeatist attitude that only serves to deter would be bloggers. There are many bloggers who successfully “bring” in well over 5 figures monthly in revenue. Many of these successful bloggers have approached their blogs in a different manner. They don’t approach their blog to serve as a resume but rather they approach their blog as a business with a committed gameplan towards consistent marketing to engage their targeted audience. Many of these successful bloggers have also been writing for well over 10 months and vigorously explore various options to optimize their blogs with everything from creative and enticing designs to clever title selections.

One aspect of successful blogging was the use of SEO tactics, which is often underestimated by newbie bloggers who have no knowledge or expertise in the area of website optimization. This lack of attention to key elements of successful online endeavors makes me wonder how a group can position themselves as the voice for successful online users of social media. Without this component, how can anyone serve as a leader in blogging?

Herein lies another problem with Latism use of the word “social media.” Is social media meant to include blogging, Facebook and Twitter? There’s an entire world outside of these 3 platforms. What about the use of Stumble Upon, Squiddo, Digg, Delicious, Posterous, Tumblr, etc? How are these social media platforms utilized by Latinos? How are widgets and api’s utilized to integrate blogs to engage readers to participate in conversations beyond the ones on these 3rd party platforms? Which analytics are best for those on a budget?

Going beyond their false advertisement in promoting Seth Godin as their keynote speaker, and the 2 hour late start to an already poorly facilitated conference, I am struggling with accepting Latism as the voice for Latinos in social media. I can’t wrap my brain around how they qualify themselves as the leaders for such a “movement” to engage Latinos online. As the first and largest entity to “consciously” organize social media professionals and non-professionals that produce and consume Latino-based content it is important to realize that they are the only ones. Perhaps their vision can now become more clear and apparent as their first conference provided the feedback and brainstorming they neglected to do prior to launching a multi-city conference tour. DC and Orlando should thank the attendees of Latism-NY for giving Latism as a whole the attendee generated direction and clarity it needed, although I am still not convinced it will be long-lived.

Looking at Latism to represent Latinos in social media is rather problematic on many levels. What exactly is “social media” under their standards? Without a clear understanding of this term, many self-qualifying individuals can proclaim to be a leader and expert in an industry that has no clear guidelines on how to measure effectiveness and success. If Latism believes that 4,000 monthly page views for a blog is considered successful, then perhaps their management team would benefit from taking some time to learn from proven experts in the blogging world who can better speak on how to create a successful blog. Perhaps they could also attend other conferences where industry leaders will explain to them how to build web traffic so that bloggers can generate the number of visits that would attract advertisers. This lack of foresight is a problem when you’re trying to bill yourself as the voice for Latinos in social media.

Moving forward, what I learned at the Latism conference is that those who are good at what they do should stick to it until they do it great. For any niche community looking to capitalize in the social media realm, consider looking at how successful groups accomplish their objectives before deciding that your agenda is more important than those of the audience you seek to serve. You can’t put a piece of lettuce on a pig and then expect a vegan to not get pissed that you’re trying to sell them veggie burger. Digital people are not that dense.